Brown Creeper

(Certhia americana)

Where: Richmond, VANotes: This was an especially exciting bird to have visit The Bird Spa because is marks the seventy-ninth different species to utilize this backyard resource! At about five inches long, the Brown Creeper is a small bird with a stiff tail that forages under the edges of tree bark. It prefers mature evergreen or mixed evergreen-deciduous forest habitat. It's a rather elusive little bird, partly due to its camouflage of dark chocolate brown with off-white speckling, but also because it “creeps” along tightly clung to the main trunk of large trees. This makes it difficult to see, even in a profile view. They habitually fly down to the base of the larger trees in the forest and then ascend their way back in a spiral fashion. They inspect the cracks and creases of the bark for insects and spiders with their down curved bill. Their diet may include seeds in the winter months. Upon reaching the height of the smaller limbs, they typically drop back down to the bottom of the next big tree and head upward again. Creepers are found throughout all of North America in the non-breeding season. They primarily breed in areas along the Canadian-U.S. border, except for some that breed in the highest elevations of Central America, the Rockies the Appalachian Mountains. What a wonderful and unique visitor!

THE BIRD SPA

Birds, like all other animals, prefer habitats that meet all their basic survival needs: food, shelter and WATER! They depend on water to condition their feathers for flight, to help maintain their body temperature, for hydration, and for hygiene. A landscape with a consistent, clean running water source will attract both a greater number of species and a higher count of birds. This especially applies to the many migratory and insect-eating species too. The Bird Spa is a low maintenance water feature, designed specifically for birds. Has ATTRACTED 80 DIFFERENT SPECIES at a single location in central Virginia!
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